Captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, marshalled his team to victory with an unbeaten 46 from 34 balls with two boundaries and one maximum to secure the Man of the Match title and win himself a Blackberry Storm from the series sponsor.

At the outset of their run chase, top scorer and makeshift opener Dinesh Karthik (47 from 43b, 5×4, 1×6), and Gautam Gambhir (44 from 38b, 2×4) set the victory march on a firm foundation as they put on 84 before Karthik – a regular wicketkeeper who has been thrust into the opening role in the absence of the injured Virender Sehwag – was dismissed by lanky left arm spinner, Sulieman Benn (5-0-31-1).

The Indian run chase received a further boost in the 14th over when rain stopped play for the umpteenth time. At that stage, after 13.3 overs India were 95 for 1 needing 186 from 27 overs.

At the resumption of the Third Digicel One Day International at the Beausejour Cricket Ground, their target was reduced to 159 and they effectively needed 64 runs from 51 deliveries. With nine wickets in hand, they held the clear advantage.

Dhoni played as intelligently as he had done in his innings of 95 in the previous game at Sabina Park and an Indian victory seemed a certainty until the end of a phenomenal 21st over by the irrepressible Dwayne Bravo (4-0-27-1). With 16 runs needed from 12 balls, Bravo sent down six deliveries at the cost of five miserly runs plus the wicket of Rohit Sharma (11 from 9b) who tried to get India out of the red by attempting a big heave.

It meant that the visitors were set back, they then needed 11 runs from the last over. Windies skipper, Chris Gayle, chose Jerome Taylor (3.5-0-39-0) to bowl the over and after a single from the first delivery, Dhoni effectively secured the win with a huge six into the stands off the next. With four runs from four balls needed, a double and two singles formalised the triumph.

Play only commenced after a more than two hour delay by which time the game was reduced to 41 overs per side. Dhoni’s opposite number, Gayle, started in a manner reminiscent of a runaway freight train. Within three and a half overs, he had scored all of the Windies’ 27 runs. The big left hander needed only 13 balls to hit six fours before the second weather intervention. When he returned to the crease the game had been reduced to 39 overs and he lasted only one more ball, being out caught behind to Ashish Nehra who ended with 3 wickets for 21 runs from 5 overs.

Despite being plagued by two more stoppages, shaving the game down to 36 overs, then again reducing it to 27 overs, top scorer, Ramnaresh Sarwan (62 from 59b, 5×4, 1×6), hitting the ball with a crispness indicative of his class, rallied to put on 51 for the second wicket with opener Runako Morton (22), and 47 with his fellow Guyanese, Shiv Chanderpaul (15).

Sarwan’s run out left the score on 135 for 4 in the 21st over and it pegged the home side back. However the Bravo brothers, Darren (21 from 15b, 3×4) and Dwayne (14), batting together for the first time in an international match, added 35 from 26 balls to push the score up to one which could have been considered challenging.

In the end it was, as Gayle mentioned in the post match press conference, a shade too few and the Indians had fewer interruptions during their innings to contend with allowing them to get home with only minor scares induced by the spectacular senior Bravo who can hardly be kept out of the action.

India have moved ahead in the four match Digicel Series 2-1 with the final encounter slated for Sunday at the same venue.

The one-dayer was almost reduced to a Twenty20  fixture as it witnessed as many as four stoppages due to rain during the West Indies innings -- including a two hour and five minutes' delay at the start of the match. The interruptions forced the overs to be brought down to 27 per side.  The West Indies, put into bat after Dhoni won the toss, rode on Ramnaresh Sarwan's  62 to post a competitive 185 for seven and India were set a revised target of 195 following the D/L method.  The visitors needed a strong start and Dinesh Karthik  (47 off 43 balls) and Gautam Gambhir (44 off 38) did just that.  The duo put on 84 runs before a direct throw from Ravi Rampaul ended Karthik's innings.  Gambhir and Dhoni took the score to 95 for one off 13.3 overs when rain intervened for the fifth time; following a 22-minute delay, the target was revised to 159 in 22 overs.

Needing another 64 runs from 51 deliveries, India lost Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh (2) in quick succession.  With 11 runs required off the last seven deliveries, Rohit Sharma too departed leaving Dhoni to see the team through. The skipper's 34-ball unbeaten knock included a couple of boundaries besides the six in the last over.  While Dhoni sparkled, opening partnership too did the job.  Karthik and Gambhir not only complemented each other but also gave the visitors perfect launch pad to go for victory after Sarwan's 58-ball 62 guided the West Indies to 185 for seven.  Sarwan was involved in two crucial partnerships, 51 runs with Runako Morton (22) and another 48 with Shivnarine Chanderpaul (15) before he was run out going for a non-existent second.  Gambhir's strong throw found Sarwan short of the mark.  His innings included five fours and a six.  He carried on the momentum provided by captain Chris Gayle (27), who gave the hosts a rollicking start after the match started two hours and five minutes late following a rain delay that first reduced the match to 41 overs a side.  Gayle hit Ishant Sharma  for a couple of boundaries in each of his first two overs.  Left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra (3/21) received similar treatment in his second over, another couple of boundaries, before rain intervened with the West Indies at 27 for no loss from 3.3 overs.

Play resumed after a 15-minute delay but the distraction was enough to unsettle the West Indies captain, who departed chasing a widish delivery from Nehra.  Gayle slashed the first ball after resumption and Dhoni did the rest behind stumps. His 14-ball stay at the crease had six hits to the fence.  Morton (22 off 34 balls), who was a silent spectator till then was joined by Sarwan and the duo took the score to 56 for one from 9.1 overs before rain intervened for a third time.

Following another 15-minute delay, the overs were reduced to 36 per side.  However, rain forced play to be suspended again just two deliveries on re-start with the hosts on 57 for one.  This time play remained suspended for an hour and 20 minutes before it resumed with the overs reduced to 27 a side.  Morton greeted RP Singh  with a four but fell soon after.  Sarwan though didn't let the stoppages affect his rhythm as he took 16 runs off one Yuvraj over to help the hosts go past the 100-run mark in 16 overs.  Along with the vastly experienced Chanderpaul, the duo put on 48 runs before the left-hander departed trying to hoist Yusuf Pathan over mid-on and Nehra doing the rest.  Left-arm pacer Nehra was the pick of the Indian bowlers, taking three wickets for 21 runs off his five overs.

This time play remained suspended for an hour and 20 minutes before it resumed with the overs reduced to 27-a-side.  Morton greeted RP Singh with a four but fell soon after, failing to read Harbhajan Singh's [Images] doosra and was stumped by Dhoni with the score reading 78 for two.  Sarwan though didn’t let the stoppages affect his rhythm as he took 16 runs off one Yuvraj Singh over to help the hosts go past the 100-run mark in 16 overs.  Along with the vastly experienced Chanderpaul, the duo put on 48 runs before the left-hander departed trying to hoist Yusuf Pathan over mid-on and Nehra doing the rest.  Left-arm pacer Nehra was the pick of the Indian bowlers, taking three wickets for 21 runs off his five overs.